Whether you’re looking for a low-maintenance alternative to grass in your yard or trying to combat shade or high-water usage, many different landscaping solutions can work for Fort Worth homeowners.
Hot summers, droughts, and poor soils can make natural grass lawns hard work. To free up time and resources without sacrificing curb appeal or home value, consider the alternatives.
We’ve made things easier for you by listing the top landscaping ideas for Fort Worth, dividing the ideas into sections based on what you’re trying to achieve in your outdoor spaces…
Low-Maintenance Landscaping Ideas
If you love the appearance of real grass but loathe the work that goes with maintaining it, consider these other options for your yard…
1. Artificial Grass
Landscaping doesn’t come much lower maintenance than with artificial grass. The best synthetic turf varieties closely resemble the real thing but require a fraction of the upkeep of real grass, making this option one of the best grass alternatives in Texas.
Naturally resistant to drought and shade while also able to handle the sun and heat in the DFW area, artificial grass requires no water, sunlight, mowing, weeding, fertilizers, pesticides, aeration or reseeding to flourish.
Artificial grass can also handle high foot traffic and is suitable for many different applications besides lawns, from kids’ play areas to dog runs, and even backyard putting greens.
GET A FREE ARTIFICIAL GRASS ESTIMATE
The experienced team at DFW Turf Solutions can help you install the lowest-maintenance landscaping option for your backyard. Get a free estimate here.
2. Hardy North Texan Grass
Instead of struggling to maintain a lawn that requires constant watering, suffers in extreme heat or struggles in shaded areas, opt for grass varieties more naturally suited to Fort Worth’s climate. Popular choices include Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, and Centipede grass, all of which can thrive in local conditions.
For a lower-maintenance, eco-friendly alternative, consider Buffalo grass, a native Texas species that provides lush ground cover with minimal upkeep. Pairing it with Blue Grama grass creates a resilient, drought-tolerant lawn that withstands Fort Worth’s hot summers while adding a natural, meadow-like charm to your landscape.
3. Flagstone Patios
Hardscaping provides some of the lowest-maintenance landscaping ideas for Texas homeowners looking to spruce up outdoor spaces.
Flagstone patios provide a stylish yet practical and functional addition to yard areas, where the family and guests can sit and enjoy the warm evenings over a barbecue or enjoy winter evenings around a firepit.
These spaces can beautify yards with very little maintenance required, especially when installed in combination with artificial grass.
4. Pea Gravel Pathways
Another attractive, practical, and low-maintenance option for walkways, driveways, and pathways in Fort Worth outdoor spaces is pea gravel, adding texture and contrast to many yards in the area.
Pea gravel is rounded, easy to walk on, and comes in a variety of neutral colors. Again, used in combination with an artificial grass lawn, it can be particularly eye-catching. Pea gravel is also affordable, drains well, and is relatively easy to install.
5. Brick Landscaping
Installing red-brick paving adds a classic aesthetic to your yard, while it’s also very low-maintenance and drains well if properly installed.
Bricks stand up well to the Texan heat and are very durable. All they need is the occasional hose down to keep in tip-top condition for years to come.
If an entire brickwork patio is not appealing to you, install a brick pathway across the lawn, between turf strips around a swimming pool or use it for edging for flower beds instead.
Water- and Climate-Friendly Landscaping Ideas
Increasingly, homeowners in Fort Worth are battling water restrictions and being encouraged to choose more climate-friendly solutions for their backyards.
Smart irrigation systems such as drip irrigation, rain sensors, and Wi-Fi-enabled sprinklers are all well and good, but if you’re looking to save on your Fort Worth water bill, these are the top landscaping options to help you move away from real grass…
6. Native Texan Plants
By growing native Texan plants in your garden, you ensure both water usage and maintenance levels are kept to a minimum.
Most Texan native plants are hardy and well-adapted to the climatic and soil conditions, so they require very little looking after. They look attractive and authentic and work well with other Fort Worth landscaping ideas mentioned here.
Good examples of native Texan plants include Texas Sage, Pavonia, Black-Eyed Susans, Winecup, Lantana, and Coneflowers, which all add a dash of color to spaces. You can find more information about native plants of Texas here.
7. Xeriscaping
A step up from simply planting native Texas plants is xeriscaping. This is essentially landscaping specifically designed for drought conditions and includes many plants that can survive periods without any water at all.
Northern Texas may not be the driest part of the state but it is no stranger to drought conditions. The beauty of xeriscaping is that it requires next to no irrigation and is based around rock gardens and growing succulent plants, such as yucca and agave. These plants are naturally pest-resistant and grow in poor-quality soils.
If you prefer, you can install native succulents and rock gardens alongside areas of gravel, brickwork, mulch or artificial grass for attractive but low-maintenance solutions—with no real grass necessary at all.
8. Rain Garden
Rain gardens are shallow, bowl- or basin-shaped landscaped depressions that are positioned to collect and absorb rainwater runoff from roofs, driveways, patios or other hard surfaces. This water can be reused rather than simply running into stormwater drains.
Water-conscious homeowners in drought-prone areas can reduce water usage and filter out soil pollutants, improving general water quality.
Rain gardens in the Fort Worth area can flourish when native plants like Black-eyed Susans, switchgrass, and Turk’s cap are planted.
Ideas for Adding Shade to Your Yard
With the Texan sun beating down so strongly, grass lawns can suffer in the heat. Building shaded areas can make sitting out in the yard, even in the height of summer, comfortable for you and the family…
9. Shade Trees
The best shade trees for Fort Worth yards are native species such as Live Oak, Cedar Elm, and Redbud.
Trees take time to grow but are a long-term investment in the beauty and livability of your outdoor spaces. As well as cooling your yard spaces down, they should add curb appeal and value to your property.
10. Pergolas and Arbors
Another excellent use of yard space is to create outdoor spaces for relaxation in the shade or entertainment areas for guests.
Pergolas are open-air structures that are often made of wood or stone and stand away from the main structure of the home. As well as providing shade, they can act as the architectural centerpiece of your yard.
Arbors are generally smaller structures that often adjoin the home, with sides and a roof formed by trees or climbing plants like wisteria or jasmine on a wooden frame.
Creative Landscaping Ideas for a Different Ambience
It’s your yard! You can do what you want with it—and there’s no reason to stick with conventional landscaping. Here are a few alternative landscaping ideas if you’re feeling more adventurous…
11. Vertical Garden
Vertical gardens solve a greenery challenge for small yards where there’s little space for a lawn—or little appetite for mowing one.
A vertical garden adds low-maintenance greenery to fences and walls, usually using a trellis or wall planters but requiring little in the way of ground space.
Green climbers like coral honeysuckle, leather flower, crossvine, and Virginia Creeper can flourish in the North Texan conditions and require little upkeep.
12. Edible Landscaping
Fruit trees, herb gardens, and raised vegetable beds not only beautify yard space with greenery but also provide fresh produce and nourishment for the family.
Fort Worth homeowners might consider fruit trees like peaches or figs that are well-suited to the North Texas climate.
If you’re creating vegetable beds in your yard, warm-season vegetables like okra, tomatoes, and zucchini work well, while cool-season vegetables like kale, spinach, garlic, and beets also flourish.
13. Flower beds or wildflower meadow
Flower beds can provide year-round color in your yard. Daylilies, lantana, purple coneflower, fall asters, canna lilies, chrysanthemums, camellias, and daffodils all grow well in the North Texas climate. These flowers will attract pollinators and support a habitat of bees, butterflies, and birds.
If you want to get creative and eco-friendly with your backyard, start a wildflower meadow using native milkweed. Here’s more information on how to do that.
14. Water Features
You may have skipped over the idea of water features because of the need to save water in the DFW area—but not all features need to use much water. Small fountains, birdbaths or recirculating streams are good options for homeowners seeking a natural and tranquil aesthetic in their yards without wasting water.
The other benefit of water features is that they can attract birds and other wildlife.
15. Ambient Lighting
Fort Worth’s climate allows families to enjoy their yards for most of the year, even in the winter. By adding outdoor lighting around patios, pool areas, walkways, and stairways, you get to use the yard for longer each day while also adding beauty and ambiance to the space.
Solar-powered lights are cost-effective and eco-friendly ideas for pathways or accent uplighting for trees and shrubs.
LED lighting options are good for homeowners with larger budgets who want to get creative with their lighting or simply extend the usability and security of their outdoor spaces.
Save Time and Money with Artificial Grass Landscaping in Fort Worth…
Artificial grass is more expensive to install than real grass but if it is properly installed and maintained, the investment is recuperated in around five years. Artificial grass can save thousands of dollars for homeowners over its long 15- to 20-year life.
If you DON’T love mowing the lawn, speak to our experienced team of turf professionals to discuss your options. We’ve helped homeowners enjoy low-maintenance, landscaped yard areas for well over a decade…
